Part 3. Marsnauts Training

When I wrote this story, I realized that the training that the crew will receive should be divided in stages:

First the traditional training in flight simulators, camp training on landscapes that may be similar to Mars conditions, like deserts, Antarctica, etc.

Second.- I considered that the crew should have a long mission experience in Space to be able to understand how they can work without Intervention from Mission Control on Earth, this is because the signal delays they will experience. For this I am suggesting the ISS as a training platform adding a new module that I called Schiaparelli that will simulate the Martian gravity, so the crew can work as if two were orbiting Mars and four on the surface. The idea is that this crew will be additional to the ISS Expedition crews, and the interaction of them will be very limited.

The Schiaparelli module will have virtual reality simulations to practice the Rover Operation as well as the activation of the Marslab. The idea is that it will have a projection of the Martian landscape to make it more real for the crew that will land on Mars.

Third.- Virtual reality training tools will be used during the mission, so during the journey from the Earth to Mars and back; they will be able to simulate the orbital operations, undocking and docking, Mars Landing and liftoff. This is very important to have the crew up to date with these operations.

These are some ideas I used in the novel.

Next time, I will comment about the detective story I am including in the book.